Maitland marks church centenary
Local
Members of the Yorke Peninsula Catholic community gathered to celebrate the centenary of St Bartholomew’s Church at Maitland on July 27.
About 60 past and present parishioners attended the Mass celebrated by parish priest Fr John Mbaraka, followed by a historical slide show and long lunch.
In 1871 the ‘hundred of Maitland’ was opened for settlement and the township proclaimed in 1872.
Dean William Kennedy of Kadina, along with workers Peter Coffrey, CH Hick, J Beck and I Swan were commissioned to build the Catholic church under the watchful eye of Fr McCabe.
The earlier pioneers carried local limestone to build the church.
On May 23 1875 the foundation stone was laid by Fr Frederick Byrne, Vicar General to Archbishop Reynolds, amid a large gathering of people from all denominations.
In the same year, the church was consecrated and dedicated to St Bartholomew by Bishop Reynolds. He was met at the train station in Kadina and accompanied to Maitland by Frs McCabe and O’Conner as well as the local band and choir.
In the early 1980s the church was renovated to include a new porch, vestry and roof. The original stone work was steam cleaned and new stained glass windows were added.
Fr Mbaraka expressed his gratitude to those parishioners of the past who had put so much time and effort into the running of St Bartholomew’s and the parish.
“We are equally grateful to those parishioners who are currently giving their time for the benefit of the parish,” he added.
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